Thursday, December 06, 2012

Wallbreakers

For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has
broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. Ephesians 2:14

When our son Joshua was born, we sort of already had his name picked out. He had difficulties at birth, wasn't breathing, was actually a plum color. His shoulder had gotten "stuck."

He improved quickly, turning a nice, healthy pink and crying as babies do. Later we found out that the problems had resulted in an injury to his right shoulder, creating nerve damage and torn muscles. He still has issues with it today.

We named him Joshua because we liked the name, but this story is about more than that, and his name becomes important.

James Moore, in his book Christmas Gifts that Won't Break reminds us that the name Jesus means "savior" or "the lord's helper," but also that Jesus is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Joshua. Remember Joshua in the Hebrew Bible? Joshua led the people into the promised land. He led them to the town of Jericho, where the walls came down. Joshua was a wallbreakers.

Jesus was a wallbreaker. He broke down the walls between us and God. He broke the walls down between each of us. He broke down the walls between our expectations of what each of us should do and what God plans for us to do. He broke down the walls between races, genders, classes, ages, economic standing. He broke down all the walls -- and he still does.

Our Joshua is a wallbreaker. Even with his arm injury, he does what he wants to do. He breaks down the walls between what we might think he can do and what he WILL do. He is aptly named.

Will we be wallbreakers? We will tear down what separates us from each other and from God? Blow your horn, rely on your God. Tear down the walls.